The internet has brought unprecedented amounts of information to the fingertips of users across the globe. As the quality of search engine algorithms has continued to improve, it has been easier for users to receive search results that are closer to their expectations. Accordingly, access to large volumes of information has provided many benefits to internet users, such as providing a more solid foundation upon which users may base their decisions.
There has been no greater effect by the internet on preexisting businesses than that on retail stores and their business models. Shoppers were once relegated to searching physical stores within the vicinity of their homes. Shoppers now have access to retail and virtual stores around the globe, and can compare and contrast products, prices and information regarding all manner of products and services from those retailers. This has given shoppers unparalleled power to shop for the best price and the specific product for which they are looking.
However, there has been a downside to this proliferation of information. There are now so many retail websites, with so much information on each website, that the shopping experience has begun to lead to information overload and shopping fatigue. It becomes difficult for shoppers to keep track of which website(s) on which they have found a particular item, or which items on a particular website they have been interested. The shopper has become frustrated, and the shopping experience is greatly diminished as a result.
The designers of retail websites understand this frustration and have instituted measures to help shoppers in this regard. Most retail websites now allow a user to put things in a “shopping cart” for later purchase, or even permit a shopper to create a list of items in which they are interested. However, shoppers have to establish the shopping cart or list for each website. This typically includes logging in to each website and entering personal information. This process is inconvenient and time-consuming for the shopper and becomes yet another source of frustration. Additionally, such shopping carts are static, and provide no further guidance to shoppers.
A system for accessing large amounts of shopping data across multiple websites and providing dynamically portions of data to shoppers in a user selective format is greatly needed.